Yep, Micro$oft paid Bethesda mucho dinero to have two 30-day exclusives. Now, if the Kinect was considered one of these, then Dawnguard will be the last DLC that has this silliness attached to it. Since the connect was truly Xbox exclusive, it should count…..

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Who knows we don't have millions to spend on exclusive dlc like Microsoft does. I recall waiting months for the fallout 3 dlc. Obsidian released there dlc a month or two after its release though.

This is true, perhaps we need a Kickstarter for PC gamers to subsidize advertising costs for big publishers, so we can get DLC first

Come to think of it, I wonder if any large publishers might consider funding a smaller or more risky project through Kickstarter?

Originally Posted by CountChocula
I suspect it has something to do with vampirism, or some new mystical sight dragon shout.

Or possible the use of Dawn-Era magics (the magicks used by magnus and lorkhan at and around the whole creation era.) The Eye of Magnus is implied to be something roughly that ancient; its discovery by the ancient Nords is suggested to have sparked the war between Nord and Falmer that culminated in the death of the Snow Prince and the Falmer fleeing underground to seek refuge with the Dwemer.

The Thalmor also appear to have an interest in so-called "dawn magic" and claim that rediscovering some of these secrets lost after creation is what allowed them to end the 2 year "Void Nights" and bring back the moons after they vanished. A book in-game also suggests that it was their own experiments into the secrets of creation which caused the moons to disappear in the first place.

One of the files included in the partial list refers to "Snow Prince Ascension." It's possible the Snow Prince (whose own armor and spear are described as being the stuff of ancient, strange, and powerful magics unique even among Falmer) is attempting to ascend to godhood (perhaps so he may restore his fallen people or maybe seek revenge on the races of men.) Dawn magic - being the stuff of gods and creation - might be one route to go if you were trying to rewrite history and bring back a people fallen to madness and a horrendous case of bat-face. Dwemer metaphysics and tonal architecture might be another route - though some of the stuff they did with the "Heart of Lorkhan" doesn't sound that different from dawn magic either. Wouldn't it be fun to get to go to Solthseim (where the Snow Prince was entombed). Maybe he got his hands on shattered fragments of the Heart of Lorkhan?

It's also possible the Thalmor are attempting to undue the mistake of creation and return the world to the paradise it Altmer creation myth describes it as - and effectively return the world to the Dawn Age which some would describe as destroying it. Maybe that's why they seemed so keen on getting their hands on the Eye of Magnus - whose use seemed to have the effect of creating ruptures in reality. Alduin having come back is a sort of apocalyptic portent, so that kind of end of the world stuff wouldn't exactly be out of place. I'd see them as more likely competing or in opposition to the Snow Prince though (as they see Orcs and Dunmer as lesser than true "Mer", imagine what they must think of Falmer.)

Of course this is probably a lot of wishful thinking on my part more than anything else. Since the power stucture (great houses, guilds, etc.) that fled Vanderfell were given sanctuary on Solthseim by the previous King of Skyrim (the one who died shortly before the start of the game) there would be an interesting mix of Nord tribes, imperial settlement, and old Morrowind culture. It would be a very different place from when you visited it in Bloodmoon.